Brian Palermo

Brian Palermo is an American character actor, science communicator, improv instructor and comedian. He has appeared in a number of television shows, commercials and movies. Palermo is also a writer whose credits include Warner Brothers' Histeria! and Disney's The Weekenders and Dave The Barbarian, both created by Doug Langdale. He is also a co-author with Randy Olson and Dorie Barton of the 2003 book, Connection: Hollywood Storytelling Meets Critical Thinking.

Brian Palermo
Palermo in 2019
Born	Brian Joseph Palermo
Occupation(s)	Actor, comedian, science communicator, improv instructor
Years active	1994–present
Website	palermoimprovtraining.com

Career

His film credits include The Social Network, My Life In Ruins, Daddy Day Care and Big Momma's House among others. Television credits include Entourage, Friends, Gary Unmarried, 90210, Zeke and Luther, The Middle, State of Georgia, Will and Grace, Digimon Data Squad, Malcolm In The Middle, Henry Danger, and Danger Force.^[1]

Palermo has appeared numerous times on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,^[2] though in April 2011 he started doing "correspondent" pieces where he played "The Humanalyzer," pretending he can analyze dreams to prove how gullible people are. These are introduced live by Palermo and Jay Leno. ^[3] Palermo has also appeared as a recurring character on Tyler Perry's House of Payne as Phil who adopts a fake French accent and persona as "Phillipe."

Palermo is a member of the improvisational and sketch comedy group called "The Groundlings," based in Hollywood, California. He both performs and teaches with this company. He has performed alongside many well-known comedians such as Will Ferrell, Eddie Izzard and Harland Williams.^[4]

Palermo won the 1988 "Big Easy" award for Best Actor for his role as "Teach" in David Mamet's American Buffalo.

Palermo appeared on the podcast Skepticality, where he spoke to host Derek Colanduno about teaching improv for 15 years at The Groundlings. He came to use improv to help scientists improve their communication skills thanks to Randy Olson. He states: "The idea is to get people's attention with the emotional stuff first, then hit them with the substance." He got a series of small parts in cinema, played a computer science professor in the movie The Social Network, he also had a part in Thank You for Smoking and others. "The book brings a very cerebral subject down to a level that almost everybody can understand."^[5]

Palermo ran a hands-on workshop at the Ocean Sciences Meeting in February 2020 on "How to Make Your Science Communication More Effective."^[6]

His Palermo Improv Training project is a consultancy whose goal is to facilitate improv training for various applications within the worlds of corporate, science communication and improv comedy. According to Palermo, "An alarmingly large number of the world's population are misinformed and uninterested in scientific issues that have incredible impacts on all of our lives. And part of correcting this situation must be improving our science communications with people at every level of our societies. But most scientists get precious little communications training." His clients include Jet Propulsion Laboratory, National Park Service, and the USDA. ^[7]

In 2003, Palermo, along with Randy Olson and Dorie Barton, published Connection: Hollywood Storytelling Meets Critical Thinking. The book brings together a former scientist (Olson), a story consultant (Barton), and an improv actor (Palermo) to explain how critical thinking in science combined with a century of Hollywood knowledge is used in the creation and shaping of stories. It also provides the narrative tools for effective communication.

Bibliography

• Palermo, Brian (2003). Connection: Hollywood Storytelling Meets Critical Thinking. Australia: Prairie Starfish Productions. ISBN 978-0615872384.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1994	Hollywood Dreams	Larry
1995	Hollywood Dreams: Take 2	Larry
1996	Love Me Twice	Matt
1999	The Thirteenth Year	Starter #1	TV film
2000	In God We Trust	Radio DJ	Short film
	Big Brother Trouble	Coffee House Manager
	Big Momma's House	Cazwell
2003	Welcome to the Neighbourhood	Bruce
	Daddy Day Care	Skeptical Father
	Dinner with Fival	Brad Norton	Short film
2004	Who Dead It?	Mayor Jeffery Chancer	Direct-to-video
2005	Kicking & Screaming	Beantown Customer
	Rebound	Alumni Association Member #1
	Dinner Conversation	Stephen	Short film
	Thank You for Smoking	FBI Agent
	I'm Not Gay	Alex	Short film
2006	You Did What?	Andy Pztarski
	Soup of the Day	Todd
	The Enigma with a Stigma	Finnius J. Whippie
2007	Women on Top	Kyle Rancor
	Jekyll	John
	Hell on Earth	Luc	TV film
2009	Shrink	Mitch
	My Life in Ruins	Marc
	Arrow Heads	Schoolboy	Short film
2010	Fudgy Wudgy Fudge Face	Dr. Cinnamon Eyes
	Gaysharktank.com		Short film
	The Social Network	CS Lab Professor
	Love Shack	Ted Haynes	Direct-to-video
2011	Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer	Zombie
	Answers to Nothing	Bill
	One Sharp Girl	Mr. Sharp	TV film
	Let Go	Dress Salesman
2012	Girl vs. Monster	Steve Lewis	TV film
	Shmagreggie Saves the World	Jim	TV film
2013	Breaking Belding	Mr. Belding/Walter White	Short film
2016	Pee-wee's Big Holiday	Marvin
2017	Tangoborn Menclenty	Publisher
	Almost Vegas	Gary Smith	TV film
2018	Vicarious	Kyle	TV film
	The Happytime Murders	Paramedic
2020	The Pack Podcast	Payne	Short film

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1997	Animal Tales	Clark
1998	Suddenly Susan	Larry the Paramedic	Episode: "Ready...Aim...Fong!"
	Baywatch	Carl	Episode: "To the Max"
	Damon	D.E.A. Man	Episode: "Under Covers"
	The Closer	Russ	Episode: "My Best Friend's Funeral"
	The Hughleys	White Guy #1	Episode: "Pilot"
	The Secret Lives of Men	Patient	Episode: "Phil's Problem"
		Man in Clinic	Episode: "The Bird"
1998-2010	The Tonight Show with Jay Leno	Various roles	Recurring, 9 episodes
1999	Veronica's Closet	Usher	Episode: "Veronica's Night at the Theater"
	Will & Grace	Brian Kelly	Episode: "To Serve and Disinfect"
1999-2002	Family Law	Neil Sefton	Recurring role, 3 episodes
2000	Curb Your Enthusiasm	Brian	Episode: "Porno Gil"
	3rd Rock from the Sun	Steve	Episode: "Dick Solomon's Day Off"
		Mr. Barnes	Episode: "Red, White & Dick"
2001	Jack & Jill	Wedding Guest	Episode: "What Weddings Do to People"
	Three Sisters	Customer	Episode: "The Dry Spell"
	For Your Love		Episode: "The Rules of Engagement"
	JAG	Motorist	Episode: "Adrift"
2002	That '80s Show	Kenmore	Recurring role, 3 episodes
	According to Jim	Bartender	Episode: "No Surprises"
	Crossing Jordan	Lewis Pate	Episode: "The Truth Is Out There"
2003	Good Morning, Miami	Trip	Episode: "The Ex Games"
	Grounded for Life	Jeff	Episode: "Ticket to Ride"
2004	I'm with Her	Clerk	Episode: "Party of Two"
	Friends	Another Passenger	Episode: "The Last One"
	One on One	Mr. Evans	Episode: "Lost in the Headlights"
	Significant Others	James	Series regular, 12 episodes
2004-2012	Bleach	Kaname Tōsen
2005	Huff	Doug Coleman	Episode: "Christmas Is Ruined"
	Everwood	Rick	Episode: "A Mountain Town"
2006	Monk	Shirt Salesman	Episode: "Mr. Monk Goes to a Fashion Show"
	Malcolm in the Middle	Steve	Episode: "Mono"
	The Unit	National Guard Commander	Episode: "First Responders"
	Sons & Daughters	Colleen's Doctor	Episode: "Hospital Visit"
	Lovespring International	Client's Boyfriend	Episode: "Burke Makes a Friend"
	Kekkaishi	Toshihiko Tsukijigaoka	Episode: "The Best Cake in the World"
	Big Day	Jean-Pierre	Episode: "Alice Can't Dance"
2006-2008	Digimon Data Squad	Akihiro Kurata	Series regular, 18 episodes
2007	Entourage	Real Estate Agent	Episode: "Adios, Amigos"
2008	Hollywood Residential	Todd	Episode: "Where's Tom?"
	Gary Unmarried	Jim	Episode: "Gary and Allison Brooks"
	Heroes	Rental Car Agent	Episode: "The Eclipse: Part 1"
2009	Trust Me	Richard Donarelli	Episode: "Au Courant"
	Psych: Flashback to the Teen Years	Job Fair Guy	Episode: "Job Un-Fair"
2009-2011	In Gayle We Trust	Mike Evans	Series regular, 8 episodes
2010	Tyler Perry's House of Payne	Phillipe	Recurring role, 3 episodes
	Warren the Ape	MTV Exec #1	Episode: "Bad Po-Fo"
2011	90210	Giles Scott	Episodes: "Revenge with the Nerd" & "It's High Time"
	The Middle	Phil Bickel	Episode: "Royal Wedding"
	Svetlana	Lee Ashton	Episode: "Season 2, Episode 4"
	State of Georgia	Brady	Episode: "Best Friends For-Never"
	Love Bites	Rick Rondo	Episode: "Boys to Men"
	Good Luck Charlie	Danny Flufferman	Episode: "Return to Super Adventure Land"
2011-2012	Fresh Hell	Tommy	Series regular, 9 episodes
2012	Zeke and Luther		Episode: "Inside Luther's Brain"
2013	2 Broke Girls	Pilot Bill	Episode: "And Just Plane Magic"
	Anger Management	Prosecutor	Episode: "Charlie Is an Expert Witness"
	Modern Family	Dryden Dad	Episode: "The Future Dunphys"
	Maron	Teddy	Episode: "Marc's Dad"
	The League	Taco Truck Customer	Episode: "The Bye Week"
2014		Brian	Episode: "Ménage à Cinq"
	See Dad Run	Director	Episodes: "See Dad Watch Janie Run Away" & "See Dad Fire Original Katie... Again"
2015	Major Crimes	Avery Cook	Episode: "Thick as Thieves"
2016	Bungo Stray Dogs	Guy	Episode: "Teaching Them to Kill, Then to Die"
		Motojirou Kajii	Episode: "The Strategy of Conflict"
2017	The Adventures of Puss in Boots	Various roles	Episode: "Too Many Cats"
	Bizarre Bloopers	Narrator
2018	The Arrangement	Howie Tarses	Episode: "Surface Tension"
	Nobodies	Warm-Up Comic	Episode: "Tape Night"
2019	Ultraman	Mitsuhiro Ide	2 episodes
	Mood Swings	Dr. Sitwell
2020	Henry Danger	Mr. Wallabee	Episode: "Mr. Nice Guy"
	Grown-ish	Johnny	Episode: "Thinkin Bout You"
2021	Danger Force	Mr. Nice Guy	Episode: "Miles Has Visions"
	The Rigmarole	Improvisor	Episode: "A Punishing Victory"

References

1. "Brian Palermo". IMDb. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
2. "Jay Leno Show". Facebook. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
3. "Jay Leno photo". Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
4. "The Groundlings". The Groundlings Theatre and School. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
5. Skepticality #218 - Make A Connection - Interviews: Randy Olson, Brian Palermo, and Dorie Barton (Podcast). November 5, 2013. Event occurs at 48:40.
6. "Make Your Science Communication More Effective". Ocean Science Meetings. American Geophysical Union. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
7. Palermo, Brian. "Palermo Improv Training". Palermo Improv Training.

External links

• You Tube Brian Palermo's YouTube Channel
• Twitter Brian Palermo's Twitter feed
• Brian Palermo at IMDb